Wardrobe-trunk.



E. W. HAWLEY.

' WARDROBE TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED DB0. 21,1010. v

Patented 1390.30, 1913.

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WARDBOBETRUNK,

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, EUGENE W. HAwLnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wardrobe Trunks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to improve that type of trunk known as a wardrobe trunk by so constructing and arranging the trunk body, door and locking devices therefor that the same may securely be fastened along all four edges by the provision of only two locking bars engaging respectively the top and bottom ofthe trunk body.

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of the trunk opened. Fig. 2 is a partial horizontal `section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a partial horizontal seotion showing the door in its open position. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the loclring device fort the door.

In describing the trunlr` it will be assumed that its normal position is as indicated in the drawings, that is, that it normally stands on one end. Such in fact, islthe position it usually occupies in transit, as well-as in use,

the upper end or top being provided Awitha.

bulgeloto hinder or preventr its being. deposited in an inverted position, while the lower end or bottom Vis usually providedl with ball casters (not shown) to enable it to be moved and handled with more ease and convenience if it be deposited and maintained in its desired upright position.

The trunk consists of two parts which are hinged together at the back, forming two compartments, each of which may be utilized as desired. In the drawings one compartment X is shown as containing sliding drawers, while the other compartment Y is open and adapted to receive articles of wearing apparel which maybe suspended from a hanger (not shown) at the upper end thereof. My improved door is applied to the latter compartment.

For convenience of description, I call the wall b of the compartment Y (which wall in fact is the rear wall of the compartment) the rear wall; the side wall c (which is directly hinged to the other part of the trunk) the inner side wall; and the opposite side wall d the outer side wall. Y j

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 21, 1910.

Patented Dec. 30,1913. Serial No. 598,578.

e is a vertically-extending strip preferably an angle-iron, which is secured along the front edge of the inner side wall from the top to the bottom of the compartment. f is a vertically-extendingstrip, preferably of wood, which is secured along t-he inner side wall and spaced from the projecting part of the angle-iron, thereby forming, between strips e and f, a groove g. The strip f need not extend throughout the height of the compartment, and in fact is shown as extending for but a short distance about midway between the top and bottom of the compartment.

7L t' is a door which is hinged to the front edge of the vertically-extending metallic strip projecting beyond the front edge of the out-er side wall Z of the compartment Y. The hinges y' are shaped so that when the door is closed, it will be flush with the front edge of the outer wall CZ and so that when the door is open it may be swung through an arc of approximately 270 degrees against the outer face of the Yside wall (Z.

The sections L and z' of the door are so hinged together as to permitthe partt to be folded inwardly toward the part z'. When it is desiredto close the door, this hinged construction permits the free edge of the. section It of the door to Ybe inserted into the groove g between the strips e and 7". This willcause the two sections of-the door to as- `sume a position nearly but not quite in alinement; that is, the hinged part of the door will project slightly beyond the front of the compartment, the two sections forming a very obtuse angle. By pressing inwardly upon the hinged part of the door, the free edge of the section L will be forced toward the base of the groove g and the two sections of the door will be broughtinto alinement and eifectually close the compartment, it being understood that the free edge of section 7a will be protected by the overhanging part of the angleiron e.

To look the door the following means are provided: In is a dish-shaped plate inset in the door section t' in such a manner that the concavity in that plate appears on the fro-nt face of the door, while the base of the concavity projects somewhat back of the rear face of the door.

m and n are a pair of vertically-extending locking bars, one above and the other below the plate. The adjacent ends of the two bars extend through the plate 7c and are thence bent outward to form finger pieces V w that may be grasped by the hand and moved toward each other for the purpose of retracting the locking bars from locking engagement with the top and bottom walls respectively of the compartment.

The upper locking bar mextends through a guide-plate o secured to the inner face of the door sect-ion t' adjacent to its upper edge. Secured to the bolt a at the upper end of the bar m is a headed pin p, which slides in a slot formed in the guide-plate 0. s is a spring confined between the lower inner wall of the guide-plate o and the bolt r, which spring tends to press the bar upwardly into locking position.

rlfhe upper end of the bolt 1' is tapered on its rear face to permit the bolt to engage a catch e (secured to the upper wall of the compartment Y, adjacent to the front edge thereof) and be depressed thereby when the door is pushed into its fully closed position. When the door is fully closed, the spring s will'force the bar fm, upwardly, the upper end of the bolt r moving behind the catch v and thereby locking the upper edge of the door from moving out until the bar is moved downward by hand. Similar means are provided to coperate with the lower locking bar n and permit it to lock the lower edge of the door from moving out.

By means of the construction described, the door may be eftectually locked without the provision of any additional locking device or devices applied to the free edge of the section 7L of the door, inasmuch as this edge of the door is eifectually protected by Y the overhanging'part of the angle-iron e.

rlhe construction of the door in hinged sections not only permits the door to be moved back of the overhanging part of the angleiron, but it has the additional advantage of enabling the door to be folded upon itself,

so that, when it is fully opened and swung around against the outer face of the wall d, it will be flat against this wall and not project behind the trunk or occupy any substantial space at the side of the trunk.

Having now fully described my invention, what l claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

In a trunk, the combination with a sectional door comprising two sections one of which is hinged on a vertical aXis adjacent to the front edge of one side wall of one trunk compartment, and the other of which sections is hinged to the lirst section on aV vertical axis so as to be foldable inwardly toward the same, there being a vertically extending groove adjacent to the front edge of the opposite side wall adapted to receive the free edge of the second section when the door is closed, of a pair of locking devices carried by one of the 'door sections, and means to operate said locking devices to effect their locking engagement with the top and bottom walls respectively of the trunk body, whereby the door is securelyl fastened along all four edges by the provision of only two locking devices.

In testimony of which invention, IA have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, von

this 19th day of December, 1910.

EUGENE W. HAWLEY.

Witnesses M. M. HAMILTON, E. E. WALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

